It was a privilege to hear from Mr. Chris Eldridge, co-founder and Managing Operator of Koa Capital Partners, LLC. Koa Capital Partners invests in Hawaii companies with great potential and strives to create long-term value for shareholders, managers, employees and customers. Their goal with each investment is to help management grow revenue and earnings by expanding sales channels, improving operations, identifying and recruiting talent and providing hands-on, real-world strategic insights along with capital for add-on investments.
Mr. Eldridge is also an entrepreneur and has experience in start-up and management experience in Hawaii having founded and sold companies including America’s Mattress Hawaii, PortaBox Storage and FileMinders.
His story began in a souvenir company in Anchorage, Alaska where he discovered his love of selling and people. One striking similarity I found is Mr. Eldridge’s similar outlook on life as Sylvester Stallone’s character of Rocky Balboa: “if you get knocked down you get back up and you keep on going.”
Mr. Eldridge advised us to be careful of the naysayers and always surround ourselves with positive people who want us to succeed. He also stressed that it is okay to fail because it is a learning opportunity. Learn from your mistakes and do better the next time around. Lastly, he stressed the power of perseverance: as long as you persist, you will be successful.
“If you have the energy and the drive, you can make your mark” – Chris Eldridge.
Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Jordan Caputy
Speaker Session with Chris Eldridge 2/1/17
